thanks for the info ..i have never ran across SAAPP interesting...My husband attends SAA (because the city we live in only has that) and it is 12 step based...that being said there are only a handful of members working the steps...and sadly very little sobriety. In SAA the addict makes their own bottom lines..so for some it might mean no porn but can masturbate...or some porn only when with spouse. My husband follows the SA program (nothing sexual without me) so no masturbating either...and it seems like the members that follow that are the ones in the group with sobriety.

Candy is right. I have been in SAA for over 2 years, and both SA and SAA are based on 12 step programs. SA doesn't allow for masturbation, and would consider that to be a relapse; they do not want their members to set their own boundaries, and for some addicts, this is very necessary. They basically share a very similar approach. As for the effectiveness of the program, it has less to do with the program than it does the individual addict. There are success stories of both SA and SAA on here, as well as failures. I am afraid I cannot speak from a position of knowledge on SAAPP. Let me give you just a bit of starting out advice, from the point of view of a recovering addict. In no particular order:

1. Pick out a 12 step group to attend, and any group will do, for right now.
2. Do not miss a meeting, if at all possible. Make this your new priority in life, it is that important. Once you feel a bit more comfortable there, ask one of the members with longer period of sobriety that you can relate to to sponsor you.
3. If you struggle with internet-based addictions like chat, porn, sexting, etc., then be proactive and put on blocking software to lock it up. K9, Covenant Eyes, XXX watch, and many others are available. Install them everywhere you have internet access, PC, tablet, phone app, laptop, etc. When you install them, ask your sponsor, if possible, to set the password for you so that you cannot get around it, and don't know it.
4. Go into Counselling. This can be helpful, and many recommend looking for a specialist, a CSAT counselor.
5. Use this forum to ask questions and get help.
6. Many recommend a lengthy initial period of abstinence to reset the chemical imbalance in your brain that triggers your addiction.
Try to visit yourbrainonporn.com and learn about the 90 day reboot challenge. Take this abstinence challenge. It helped me a lot, and will help you too.

I hope this helps get you started. Welcome to the group, and don't be afraid to share with others on here your story and questions. It will help you.

Thanks to candycin and variableknife for your helpful replies and information. HS

I belong to the SAAPP fellowship, so this is my bias

When the book Alcoholics Anonymous (the Big Book) was published in 1939, there were no AA meetings. The book was the first 12 step document written, describing how the first 100 who wrote the book by consensus became sober. It was a written instruction. The book claims a 75% sobriety success rate. The book describes a spiritual solution.

For me, being agnostic, I did not want to accept a spiritual solution, and I rejected the 12 steps. It took me years of trying anything and everything I could to try to get over my sexual addiction. Unfortunately for me, nothing worked despite horrible guilt and shame for what I was doing. I have a huge list of what didnt work for me, including a sincere effort using SAA, therapy, filters, accountability partners, online support groups, meditation, medications, promises, hobbies, journaling, willpower, desperate prayers, exercise, changing my phone browser and changing my schedule around. This is just an abbreviated list of what I tried.

A recovered member came to me and offered me a spiritual solution. I told him no thanks, Im agnostic. He told me that according to the AA book, you dont have to believe. You only have to be willing to believe. I again told him no thanks. He asked if Id do anything to stop. I said yes. Why, then, not try having an open mind to a spiritual solution?

I tried out of desperation. I did the steps. I got results. I initially had relapses, but I found that my relapses were due to me not following the steps.

When I saw that having a willingness to believe in God helped me, I knew I could rely on the steps. There is a part of my brain that is STILL agnostic, but once I realized that all I had to do was to ignore that part of my brain that was doubting and questioning everything, I started to get better.

Amongst AA groups, primary purpose groups have started up around the US, with emphasis on doing the steps and following the instructions in the big book. Going to meetings is nice, but the concept is that meetings do not make us better. Doing the steps makes us better.

Following this primary purpose of AA groups, SAAPP sex addicts anonymous primary purpose follows the same concept, which is using the instructions in the big book to DO THE STEPS to recover as the original 100 authors of the book recovered from alcoholism but in our case, from sex addiction.

The great thing about following instructions from the big book are the many promises that come true as written in the book. One such promise is that when tempted to act out, we react as if we are going to do something that will hurt us. This means freedom from relying on willpower. This means that we do not have to rely on filters and avoiding triggers in order to stay sober.

Also, very interesting for the sex addict, the big book describes a sexual ideal FOR ALCOHOLICS based on the experiences of those who wrote the book. If an alcoholic does not stick to the ideal of the purpose of sex, an alcoholic is at risk to possibly drink again.

So, right there in the original 12 step document for alcoholics is a sexual sobriety definition.

The major difference between SAA and SAAPP is making the solution all about spirituality. SAA face to face meetings often talk about tools of recovery (such as journaling, support of other members, going to meetings, reading literature, etc) and relying on the outer circle (healthy activities) to help us keep sober. I firmly believe that if someone can recover from compulsive sexual behavior using these human means go for it. I fully support SAA if it works for the individual. And I especially think that SAA can work, if you do the steps.

But for me, no human powered solution ever worked. And I needed failure and relapse time and time again to finally get desperate enough to try a spiritual solution as outlined by SAAPP to recover.

Ralph,

i am still confused about the differences..SAA is 12 step based on higher power (spirituality) so i dont see the difference but am very interested

Looking at the SAAPP website, most of the meetings they list are actually SAA meetings: http://www.saapp.org/ameetings

The impression I get from the website is that the SAAPP groups are trying to emphasize doing the steps outside of the meetings rather than just going to the meetings. However, I suspect most SAA groups would say that they also emphasize actually doing the steps.

Dlansky...that was my impression to so I was confused that it seems to be that it is the same as SAA